Why study History?

The Norman Conquest special subject (Phil Harper, Jamie Blake, Hugh Fickling and Sophie Power with Dr Leonie Hicks) enjoying the warfarers' dole at the Hospital of St Cross, Winchester as part of a field trip to look at the cultural effects of the Norman Conquest in Hampshire.We would like you to come to study History with us first and foremost because of your intrinsic desire to know more about the past. We want you to share our fascination with the otherness of the past and the problems of thinking and writing about it from the perspectives of the present.

Studying History will sharpen your insights into the functioning of past societies, helping you to formulate a more critical awareness of the problems of the present. In understanding the plurality of past cultures, and learning to respect the reasoned views of others, studying History teaches the values of tolerance and acceptance of diversity, which are essential in contemporary society.

History at Southampton

Our standing in the international community is reflected not only in the range of our own activities, but in our connections with prestigious universities abroad. We receive regular visits from scholars from all over the world, both to research in our own archives and to speak as guest lecturers. We encourage undergraduates to participate in seminars and attend lectures given by visiting historians - we believe firmly in integrating you into the academic life of the department.

Through our links with other European universities under the Socrates scheme students can also elect to spend a semester studying abroad in Paris, Bonn, Amsterdam or Mannheim.

Your future career

You will develop skills which will be of value to you long after you have left university: in learning to absorb, analyse and assess a variety of viewpoints, in learning to order and express argument in oral and written form, and in learning to think and work both independently and in co-operation with others, History students acquire skills which employers in all fields recognise.

Our graduates go on to a wide variety of careers:

  • media
  • publishing
  • advertising
  • events
  • law
  • accountancy or banking
  • teaching
  • library and museum work
  • administration and research
  • recruitment

Of our graduates in 2006, 52% gained permanent employment within a year, and 29% went on to higher degrees (PGCEs, MAs, PhDs etc) in a range of subjects - figures above the average for Arts and Humanities subjects.